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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USSenate approves ultrasound rule
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A woman seeking an abortion in Georgia must be offered the chance to view an ultrasound image of her fetus before the procedure under a bill passed Wednesday by the state Senate.
The chamber approved House Bill 147 by a vote of 36 to 17. Earlier Wednesday, the Republican-majority Senate voted to “engross” the bill — a legislative procedure that restricts lawmakers from amending the measure on the floor.
Several Democrats spoke against engrossing the bill, but their efforts failed to convince a majority of their colleagues.
State Rep. James Mills (R-Gainesville), the sponsor of the HB 147, was in the Senate when the measure passed.
“I feel like this is going to save lives,” Mills said after the vote. “This is going to give women the ability to make informed decisions.”
Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnerville), who sponsored a similar measure this year, carried HB 147 in the Senate.
Lawmakers have changed the bill’s language significantly since Mills first introduced the measure. Initially, the bill would have required doctors to perform an ultrasound and then offer a woman the chance to see the images. The ultrasound is no longer mandatory under the bill.
Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) spoke against the bill, arguing that lawmakers should focus on other ways to reduce teen pregnancies and abortion in Georgia.
HB 147 now goes back to the House for a procedural approval because the Senate made some non-substantive changes to the measure. She also said the bill intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship.
“We should be gathering around the goal to reduce teen pregnancies by improving the health of our mothers, improving the health of our newborns,” Orrock said.
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